There was once a poor man who visited his incredibly wealthy friend. They spent the evening eating, drinking, and talking until the poor man fell into a deep sleep.

The wealthy friend, however, suddenly received urgent news that required him to leave the country immediately. Before departing, he looked at his sleeping friend and felt a deep surge of compassion for his poverty. He took a priceless, flawless jewel from his own collection and sewed it into the lining of the poor man’s ragged jacket.

The next morning, the poor man woke up to find his friend gone. Unaware of the priceless treasure hidden inside his own coat, he wandered from town to town, working grueling jobs just to afford a meager bowl of rice. He lived in constant anxiety, feeling sorry for himself and believing he was destined to suffer in poverty forever.

Years later, the two friends accidentally crossed paths again. The wealthy man was shocked to see his friend looking so thin, tired, and destitute.

“My friend,” the wealthy man said, “why are you living like this? Didn’t you find the jewel I sewed into your jacket before I left?”

The poor man felt the lining of his old, worn-out coat. There, hidden all along, was the hard edge of the priceless jewel. He had been a fabulously wealthy man the entire time, but because he did not know it, he had lived as a beggar.

The Lesson

According to the Lotus Sutra, every single being possesses “Buddha-nature”—the inherent potential for perfect wisdom, peace, and enlightenment. It is like a priceless jewel sewn into the fabric of our being.

However, because we are unaware of it, we wander through life begging for scraps of happiness from external things: money, status, validation from others. True spiritual practice is not about acquiring something new from the outside, but discovering the immense wealth that has been hidden inside us all along.

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नेपाली अनुवाद

एक समयमा एक गरिब मानिस थियो जसले आफ्नो असाध्यै धनी साथीलाई भेट्न गयो। उनीहरूले साँझ सँगै खाँदै, पिउँदै र कुरा गर्दै बिताए जबसम्म ती गरिब मानिस गहिरो निद्रामा परेनन्।

तर धनी साथीले अचानक एउटा जरुरी खबर पायो जसको कारण उसले तुरुन्तै देश छोड्नु पर्ने भयो। जानुभन्दा अघि, उसले सुतिरहेको आफ्नो साथीलाई हेर्यो र उसको गरिबीप्रति गहिरो करुणा महसुस गर्यो। उसले आफ्नो संग्रहबाट एउटा अमूल्य, दोषरहित मणि निकाल्यो र गरिब मानिसको पुरानो च्यात्तिएको ज्याकेटको भित्री भागमा सिलाइदियो।

भोलिपल्ट बिहान, गरिब मानिस उठ्दा आफ्नो साथी गइसकेको पायो। आफ्नै कोटभित्र लुकेको अमूल्य खजानाको बारेमा अनजान, ऊ सहरदेखि सहरसम्म भौंतारिँदै, केवल एक कचौरा चामलको लागि कडा परिश्रम गर्दै जीवन बिताउन थाल्यो। ऊ सधैं चिन्तामा बाँच्यो, आफैंलाई टिठ्याउँथ्यो र आफू सधैं गरिबीमा दुःख भोग्न लेखेको छ भन्ने विश्वास गर्थ्यो।

वर्षौंपछि, ती दुई साथीहरू संयोगवश फेरि भेट भए। धनी मानिस आफ्नो साथीलाई यति दुब्लो, थकित र गरिब देखेर छक्क पर्यो।

“मेरो साथी,” धनी मानिसले भन्यो, “तिमी किन यसरी बाँचिरहेका छौ? के तिमीले मैले जानुभन्दा अघि तिम्रो ज्याकेटमा सिलाइदिएको मणि पाएनौ?”

गरिब मानिसले आफ्नो पुरानो, च्यातिएको कोटको भित्री भाग छाम्यो। त्यहाँ, सधैंभरि लुकेर रहेको, अमूल्य मणिको कडा किनारा थियो। ऊ सधैंभरि एक अत्यन्तै धनी मानिस थियो, तर उसलाई यो थाहा नभएको कारण, ऊ एउटा भिखारीको रूपमा बाँचेको थियो।

शिक्षा

लोटस सूत्रका अनुसार, हरेक प्राणीमा “बुद्ध-स्वभाव” - पूर्ण ज्ञान, शान्ति र बुद्धत्व प्राप्त गर्ने अन्तर्निहित क्षमता हुन्छ। यो हाम्रो अस्तित्वको कपडामा सिलाइएको अमूल्य मणि जस्तै हो।

यद्यपि, हामी यसबारे अनजान भएकोले, हामी बाह्य कुराहरू: पैसा, स्थिति, अरूबाट मान्यता आदिबाट खुशीका टुक्राहरू माग्दै जीवनभर भौंतारिन्छौं। साँचो आध्यात्मिक अभ्यास भनेको बाहिरबाट नयाँ कुरा प्राप्त गर्नु होइन, तर हामीभित्र सधैंभरि लुकेको त्यो अपार सम्पत्ति पत्ता लगाउनु हो।